Dear Member,
We are continuing our fight to protect SAG-AFTRA members from age discrimination in casting.
Combating discrimination and harassment is at the core of what our union stands for. That’s why we were so disappointed by the recent court ruling invalidating California’s AB 1687, which gave individuals the right to opt-out of having their age information published online without their consent.
Regrettably, the Court’s ruling failed to recognize the massive impact that age discrimination has on performers (and others) in the industry – something I have personally experienced, just like many of you. It was particularly ironic that after the Court earlier denied our requests to take discovery and present evidence at a trial, the Court in its ruling complained that there was not enough evidence to prove the benefit of providing an opt-out right for birth dates on IMDb. SAG-AFTRA members understand there would be an immediate and significant reduction in age discrimination within the industry as a result of the change we were seeking.
In finding the law to be a First Amendment problem, the Court also wrongly ignored the commercial nature of IMDb’s database operation and its subscriber programs, applying standards that are not intended for commercial speech that has a lesser level of protection.
SAG-AFTRA will be appealing this decision with the continued support of our allies. I know it has been a frustrating road, but rest assured, we are in this fight for the long term and will continue to battle on every front until we end the scourge of age discrimination.
Strength in unity,
Gabrielle Carteris
President
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